Scientists in Search of a Common Language With Dolphins

21 March 2011

Bottlenose dolphins swim in the Georgia Aquarium last month in Atlanta

BOB DOUGHTY:This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I’m Bob Doughty.

FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus. Today, we tell about efforts by American scientists to communicate with dolphins. We also tell about applications programs for computers, better known as apps. We tell how a sharp increase in demand for apps has affected computer science programs at many universities.

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: People have always been able to talk to animals. The problem is: do they really talk back? And what are they saying? When a dog barks three times, is he really communicating? Or is he hoping to get praise or even food for his actions?

And what about dolphins? Are their squeaks and whistles really communication? Or are they just noises? Scientists have thought for a long time that dolphins have their own language and can “talk” among themselves. But is it possible for them to communicate with us?

FAITH LAPIDUS: Denise Herzing is a biologist with the Wild Dolphin Project in Jupiter, Florida. She has studied the animals for over twenty years. Her latest work involves creating a language that both dolphins and humans can understand.

Members of her team lower a keyboard into the water. Then a diver pushes one of the keys to show the dolphin how it works. When the key is pushed, someone above the water throws a ball to the diver. At the same time, a high frequency whistle is produced. The sound is something that the dolphin can hear, and also make. The dolphin then learns that to get the ball, it can either push the key, or make the whistle sound. The result is real communication between an animal and a human.